'10 yrs of failure will make him lose': Sandeep Dikshit's fierce attack on Arvind Kejriwal

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Sunday hit out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, asserting that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief's governance over the past decade has left the capital in a state of collapse. Dikshit also welcomed the absence of an alliance between the Congress and AAP for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.  

"The alliance was never in question. The AAP kept launching the idea because they feared losing if they fought alone. But it is good that the alliance did not happen," Dikshit told ANI.  

Dikshit, the son of three-time Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, launched a sharp attack on Kejriwal, saying, "In the last 10 years, he (Kejriwal) has brought Delhi to a place where all the systems have collapsed. These 10 years of failure will make him lose. Our strategy is to attract those voters who are disappointed by him."  

He further emphasised that the Congress party's history remains its strength. "The Congress party's past had been a golden period, and we will associate with upcoming promises. The disappointed voters will come to us on their own," he added.  

Sandeep Dikshit has been fielded from the New Delhi constituency, a seat that Kejriwal has held since 2013. Kejriwal gained prominence by defeating Sheila Dikshit in the 2013 Assembly polls by over 25,000 votes. He retained the seat in 2015, defeating the BJP candidate with a margin of over 31,000 votes, though his victory margin reduced to just 2,000 votes in the 2020 polls.  

The New Delhi constituency, one of the smallest among the capital's 70 assembly seats, is dominated by government employees. The upcoming contest is expected to be fierce, with Dikshit taking on Kejriwal and the BJP potentially fielding Parvesh Verma, son of former Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma.  

On Saturday, Verma told PTI that he has been asked to prepare for contesting from the New Delhi seat. Kejriwal dismissed rumors about shifting his constituency. "There will be no change. I will contest from New Delhi seat, and Chief Minister Atishi from Kalkaji,” he said during an event on Friday.  

The AAP confirmed Kejriwal's candidature from New Delhi in its final list of candidates released on Sunday.